Lewiston-Porter voters approve budget

Voters in the
Lewiston-Porter Central School District responded positively to the $39,647,771
budget presented at the second vote on Tuesday night.

With 1,618 yes votes and
960 no votes, the new budget will increase the tax levy by 3.95 percent.

After defeating the
first proposal set at $40,001,368 and a 5.52 percent tax levy increase, the
Lew-Port School Board and administration went back to work and made additional
cuts in personnel, programming and administrative costs.

"There's not a lot to
celebrate in this budget," said Board of Education President Jodee Riordan.
"But I'm relieved it passed and we had a great turnout.

"The residents got out
to support education at Lew-Port."

Superintendent
Christopher Roser, while happy it passed, said he is concerned about the
future.

"For the students and
education at Lew-Port, I'm really appreciative of the positive vote," Roser
said. "If it hadn't been positive, the education we have experienced at
Lew-Port would have been drastically different.

"I have learned that I
will have to really do things differently for next year's budget."

"First, I'm very
appreciative of voters coming out the second time around," said Lewiston-Porter
United Teachers President Kevin Jaruszewski. "But having to say goodbye to
people in the next couple days who were laid off makes it bittersweet.

"School budgets have
become a business, and starting tomorrow we need to start working on what
strategies will work and not work so we can rebuild."